Paper machine



E. L. PERRY PAPER MACHINE Feb. 22, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 22, 1949 EUGENE L. PERRY ATTORNEYS BY EAMKFMM W W E. L. PERRY PAPER MACHINE Feb. 22, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 22, 1949 INVENTOR EUGENE L.PERRY BY I imam/1W FBAW ATTORNEY6 5- L PERRY PAPER MACHINE Feb. 22, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 22, 1949 A 1 PWI Iv I LI 8.5%. L 41 INVENTOR EUGENE L.. PERRY BY EA/M12 ja/Wmdqm r'fiamwwq ATTORNEYS E. L. PERRY PAPER MACHINE Feb. 22, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 22, 1949 HEW MW ATTORNEY5 United States Patent O PAPER MACHINE Eugene L. Perry, Bloomfield, N. J.; Helen M. Swope and Grace Gubernator, executrices of said Eugene L. Perry, deceased, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Packaging Materials Corp., Providence, R. L, a corporation of Rhode Island Application June 22, 1949, Serial No. 100,701

3 Claims. (Cl. 92-43) This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for forming sheet products from paper pulp and constitutes primarily an improvement on my prior Patent No. 2,484,047, granted October 11, 1949.

The object of the present invention is to improve the apparatus of my above mentioned patent in several respects whereby the speed of production may be increased and a better quality of product obtained.

A further object of my invention is to improve the cylinder construction to prevent sagging of the peripheral wall of the cylinder which not only interferes with the mechanical operation of the cylinder, but also results in variations in the thickness and quality of the sheets formed thereon.

A further object of the invention is to improve the surface of the cylinder to increase the area of the suction openings without weakening the cylinder wall.

A further object of the invention is to improve the construction of the suction boxes in a manner to secure an adequate sealing of the suction boxes against leakage of air without appreciable drag on the rotating cylinder.

A further object of the invention is to improve the distribution of the pulp on the cylinder surface so as to provide a random arrangement of the fibres in the middle portion of the sheet of any desired thickness and to vary the relative thickness of the several layers of different pulp formation making up the finished sheet.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of my improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 on a somewhat enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views showing the structural details of the large forming cylinder;

Fig. 6 is a detail view in vertical section of one of the suction boxes;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 7--7 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view showing the transfer mechanism for transferring the pulp sheet formed on the main cylinder to a secondary cylinder and from the secondary cylinder to the delivery belt.

My improved machine as shown comprises two cylinders but additional cylinders may be employed, if desired, in the manner shown in my above-mentioned patent. The main cylinder 1 is preferably of the construction shown in detail in Fig. 2 and comprises a pair of end rings 2 to which the cylindrical sheet metal perforated drum 3 is welded at its opposite marginal edges. One of the rings 2 has attached to it the driving gear 4 which is continuously driven from a drive shaft 5 by means of a pinion 6.

The drum 3 is supported by ,four pairs of supporting rollers 5' mounted on stationary shafts 6 extending through the drum and mounted on a stationary frame 7 at each end of the cylinder. As shown, the shafts 6 are arranged at the top and bottom of the cylinder and at each side, the rollers 5 adjacent the flow box 8 being at a point somewhat above the horizontal axial plane of the cylinder in order to allow room below the rollers for the drain box 9. Substantially the entire weight of the cylinder is carried by the upper pair of rollers 5 and consequently these rollers are apt to sag under the weight of the cylinder, thereby causing a distortion of the cylinder face which would not only interfere with the mechanical operation of the machine, but also produce irregularities in the thickness and surface of the deposited pulp.

It has been found impractical for cylinders of an axial length in the order of six feet or more to mount the supporting rollers at the top of the cylinder on shafts which extend without support from end to end of the cylinder, but attempts heretofore made to provide additional support for such shafts have not proven satisfactory because of the difficulty of providing within the confines of the cylinder, framework of the necessary strength and rigidity to carry the necessary load. In my improved construction as shown in Fig. 2, I provide auxiliary supports 10 for the shaft 6 at the top of the cylinder at points adjacent the inner faces of the two rollers 5' which are of comparatively light construction but which nevertheless fully support the shaft.

This supporting structure comprises a longitudinal bar or plate 11 of a length somewhat greater than the distance between the two supports 10. The supports 10 are provided at their upper ends with yokes 12 (see Fig. l) for embracing the shaft 6 and at their lower ends are threaded and project through holes in the bar 11. Nuts 13 which may, as shown in Fig. 1, be provided with integral operating handles 14, are threaded on the lower ends of the supports 10 so that the supports may be individually adjusted with respect to the bar 11 and locked in adjusted position. At each end the bar 11 is provided with an underlying flange 15 through which rods 16 extend to the frame member 7 adjacent the cylinder. By this arrangement the shaft-supporting members 10 may be accurately adjusted to support the shaft with its axis dmaintained exactly parallel with the surface of the cylin- The construction of the cylinder and the screens is shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5. The drum 3 which is welded at its edges to rings 2 at each end, has at each end an imperforate portion 19 against which the sides 20 of the flow box are fitted. The wall of the drum 3 throughout the portion between these imperforate marginal sections 19 is provided with rows of perforations 21 extendmg throughout the entire circumference of the cylinder. 'l'hese perforations are as close together as they may be placed in order to leave sufiicient metal between the perforations 21 to provide the necessary structural strength for the drum. On their outer face the perforations 21 are countersunk, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, to thus reduce the thickness of the partitions between the perforations at the surface, while leaving enough metal around the perforations on the under side to provide the necessary strength and rigidity. By countersinking the perforations the effective area of the perforations is increased nearly without significantly reducing the strength and stiffness of the cylinder, for the reason that it is the metal forming the inside half of the cylinder wall which is most subject to strain, tending to rupture or deform the cylinder, and if sufiicient metal is left here considerable metal may be removed from the outer surface of the cylinder without appreciably reducing the overall strength.

Surrounding the perforated portion of the cylinder, and with its margins extending over the edges of the imperforate portions 19 of the cylinder, is a cylinder of coarse screening 22 whose main purpose is to furnish support for the cylinder 23 of fine screening against which the pulp is deposited from the flow box. Surrounding the fine screen 23 at each edge where the screens overlie the imperforate portion 19 of the drum 3, bands or hoops 24 are provided which serve as tracks to prevent direct contact of the press roller and secondary cylinder with the surface of the screen.

The flow box 8 as shown is generally of the same construction and design as disclosed in my prior patent above mentioned. The pulp enters continuously through the passage at the left of the box 8 as shown in Fig. 1, thence passes upwardly over the partition 25, thence through the opening at the bottom of the box into contact with the surface of the cylinder. The pulp passes upwardly in contact with the fine screen surface of the cylinder through the channel or passage formed by the curved partition or outer wall 26 over the top of which the surplus pulp returns to the discharge pipe 27. The height of the curved partition 26 may in my improved machine be adjusted to thereby vary the pulp level in the portion of the flow box in contact with the cylinder surface. The adjusting means as shown comprises a plate 23 mounted on the top of the partition 26 for up-and-down sliding movement. Connected to the back of the plate by suitable links are bell cranks 29 which may be clamped in various positions to thereby fix the plate 28 at the desired elevation for the particular operation to be carried out.

The flow box of my improved machine is also provided with an agitator 30 consisting of a bar mounted for reciprocation across the top of the flow box and a series of rods 31 fixed to the bar and extending down into the pulp in the extreme upper portion of the passage between the plate 28 and the cylinder. When the agitator is in use the bar is continuously reciprocated to thereby maintain the pulp in the upper portion of the box adjacent the drum agitated so that any tendency toward a cylinder formation of the fibres resulting from the upward passage of the pulp in contact with the rotating cylinder which may extend above the first suction box is destroyed and a random arrangement of the fibres is assured. In the double layer web so formed the fibres of the underlying layer will have the cylinder formation resulting from the passage of the cylinder over the first suction box 35, and an overlying layer of random formation formed by the pulp drawn against the cylinder by the suction in the second suction box 36 during the passage of the cylinder through the agitated pulp at the top of the pulp box. With the structure disclosed in this application the relative thickness of the layer of cylinder formation fibres adjacent the surface of the cylinder and the layer of random formation fibres may be relatively varied within wide limits.

By varying the suction in the two flow boxes and also adjusting the height of the plate 28 at the top of the partition 26, the relative quantities of pulp deposited during the passage of the cylinder across the two boxes may be modified at will. If it is desired to have a very tough sheet with the tear resistance the same 111 all directions a thin layer of cylinder formation fibres may be deposited on the surface by reducing the suctlon 1n the box 35 and increasing the suction in the box 36, and also elevating the plate 28 so that a greater depth of pulp at the top of the partition will overlie the suction box 36 and be agitated by the rods 31. On the other hand, a thick sheet of cylinder formation may be produced with substantially no overlying layer of random formation by reducing the elevation of the plate and stopping the motor which operates the agitators 31. When so adjusted the level of the pulp will be so reduced that the suction box 36 will cause the deposit of little additional pulp onto the sheet formed during the passage of the cylinder over the suction box 35.

The suction boxes 35 and 36 as shown in the present application are designed to reduce the friction between the suction boxes and the cylinder, and thereby reduce the power required to drive the cylinder and also the wear on the packing around the edges of the boxes. To this end the suction boxes are mounted on levers 38 which are biased by springs 39 to press the suction boxes against the under surfaces of the cylinder wall 3. The suction boxes are formed with end walls having packing along their top edges as illustrated in Fig. 4, which contacts with the under side of the imperforate margins 19 of the wall 3 and with transverse partitions having similar packing at their upper edges contacting the perforated portions of the cylinder. Also contacting the under side of the cylinder along the imperforate marginal portlons thereof are rollers 40. 41 (Fig. 6) supported on brackets attached to the walls of the suction boxes, the rollers thus maintaining the boxes in fixed position and pressed against the under side of the drum by the atmospheric pressure and also the pressure of the springs 39. This construction is particularly desirable where varying suction pressures are used, as the pressure of the packing against the surface of the cylinder is not significantly affected by variations in the suction in the boxes, and the friction from the rolling contact between the rollers and the inner surface of the cylinder is insignificant in any case.

Beyond the suction box 36 there provided a press roller 43 which overlies a suction box 44 whereby the water content in the sheet formed on the cylinder may be further reduced before the sheet reaches the point of contact with the second cylinder 45. This second cylinder 45 is of the same construction as the main cylinder except that it is of smaller diameter and consequently the tendency of the supporting shaft for the carrying rollers 46 to sag under the weight of the cylinder is not such as to require additional support between the ends of the cylinder. The second cylinder 45 is preferably provided with a flow box 47 similar in all respects to the flow box 8 of the main cylinder, and is also preferably provided with an agitator 48 and adjustable dam 49 at the top of the curved partition of the box whereby the characteristics of the layers of pulp deposited on the second cylinder 45 may be regulated. Separate suction boxes within the cylinder opposite the upper and lower portions of the flow box 47 may be provided, but a single box 50 such as shown may be employed, as wide variations in the relative thickness of the layers of cylinder formation and random formation fibres in the finished sheet may be obtained by the above described adjustments of the first cylinder.

In the operation of the machine the sheet formed on the first cylinder is transferred to the second cylinder at the point of contact of the two cylinders, and this transfer is accomplished by a suction box 51 whose upper edge lies immediately above the axial plane of the cylinders. As the two sheets come in contact this suction draws the web of the first cylinder against the web on the second cylinder to thereby effect a smooth separation of the sheet from the first cylinder to the second cylinder. The separation is aided by an air blast through nozzle 52 adjacent the inner surface of the main cylinder opposite the suction box 51. The suction box 51 tends to draw the two webs into close contact to thereby efiect an interlocking of the fibres which on the exposed faces of both layers are of random formation and thus tend to felt readily together. The combined sheet is discharged from the second cylinder onto a delivery belt 53 at the bottom of the cylinder 45, the separation of the sheet from the surface of the cylinder being effected by pressure from an air pipe 54 overlying the end of the belt 53. The belt 53 delivers the sheet to press rollers 55 which compress the sheet sufficiently for it to be self-sustaining. From these press rollers the sheet passes to the driers, not shown, but which may be of any improved construction.

The operation of the machine has been sufiiciently explained in the foregoing description, and as explained above, more than one secondary cylinder may be used if a multilayer sheet is desired. For example, in lieu of the press roller 43 a secondary cylinder similar in all respects to the cylinder 45 may be incorporated in the machine without otherwise modifying the construction shown. Also, if desired, the machine may be used without supplying the flow box 47 with pulp. When so used the screen surface of the cylinder 45 will impart to the sheet a wire finish so that the sheet on both sides will have the same finish. Also, when two or more cylinders are used pulp of different characteristics may be supplied to the flow boxes of the different cylinders to provide a laminated sheet of bonded fibres of different kinds. Also, if desired, the machine may consist of the main cylinder alone, in which case a wire finish can be imparted to both surfaces of the sheet by covering the press roller 43 with a screen covering. When the main cylinder is used alone the delivery belt 53 will be extended to a point adjacent the surface of the main cylinder and the air pressure discharge pipe 54 will be supported within the main cylinder to effect the transfer of the paper of the Web from the cylinder to the belt. It Wlll also be understood that the machine may be otherwise modified and that the invention is not limited to the details of construction shown herein except insofar as recited in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combmation of a forming cylinder, a flow box supported adacent said cylinder, said cylinder forming one wall of the flow box, said flow box having an unobstructed passage between the surface of said cylinder and the outer wall of the flow box wherein the fibers orient themselves in generally parallel relationship circumferentially of said cylinder to form a layer of circumferentially arranged fibers on the cylinder, said unobstructed passage extending opposite the forming cylinder for at least about the major portion of that part thereof onto which fibers are to be deposited at any particular time, and an agitator adjacent the wall of the flow box formed by the cylinder and extending only into a shallow depth of the pulp suspension within said passage for stirring only the portion of the pulp suspension adjacent the pulp suspension surface therein and causing random orientation of the fibers in that portion of the pulp suspension so that a layer of random oriented fibers is formed on said cylinder over said layer of circumferentially oriented fibers.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a forming cylinder, a flow box supported adjacent said cylinder, said cylinder forming one wall of the flow box, said flow box having an unobstructed passage between the surface of said cylinder and the outer wall of the flow box wherein the fibers orient themselves in generally parallel relationship circumferentially of said cylinder, said unobstructed passage extending opposite the forming cylinder for at least about the major portion of that part thereof onto which fibers are to be deposited at any particular time, a suction box cooperating with the inner surface of the cylinder opposite said unobstructed passage to draw said circumferentially oriented fibers against the cylinder and form a layer, an agitator operating only near the surface of the pulp suspension within said passage and adjacent the wall of the flow box formed by the cylinder for stirring only the portion of the pulp suspension adjacent the pulp suspension surface in said passage and causing random orientation of the fibers in that portion of the pulp suspension, and a second suction box cooperating with the inner surface of said cylinder opposite said agitator to draw said random oriented fibers against said underlying layer of circumferentially arranged fibers.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a first forming cylinder, a flow box supported adjacent said cylinder, said cylinder forming one wall of the flow box, said flow box having an unobstructed passage between the surface of said cylinder and the outer wall of the flow box wherein the fibers orient themselves in generally parallel relationship circumferentially of said cylinder to form a layer of circumferentially arranged fibers on the cylinder, said unobstructed passage extending opposite the forming cylinder for at least about the major portion of that part thereof onto which fibers are to be deposited at any particular time, and an agitator adjacent the wall of the flow box formed by the cylinder and extending only into a shallow depth of the pulp suspension within said passage for stirring only the portion of the pulp suspension adjacent the pulp suspension surface therein and causing random orientation of the fibers in that portion of the pulp suspension so that a layer of random oriented fibers is formed on said cylinder over said layer of circumferentially oriented fibers to form a two layer web, a second forming cylinder supported with its surface in substantially tangential relation to the surface of the first cylinder, a flow box supported adjacent said second cylinder having an unobstructed passage between the surface of said cylinder and the outer wall of said flow box wherein the pulp fibers orient themselves circumferentially of said second cylinder to form a layer of circumferentially arranged fibers thereon, an agitator extending only into a shallow depth of the pulp suspension within said passage for stirring only the portion of the pulp suspension adjacent the pulp suspension surface therein and causing random orientation of the fibers in that portion of the pulp suspension so that a layer of random oriented fibers is formed on said second cylinder over said layer of circumferentially oriented fibers, and means for transferring said two layer web formed on said first forming cylinder to said second cylinder to form a three layer composite web having the fibers on the outside surfaces of said sheet circumferentially arranged and the fibers in the interior of the web in random arrangement. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 924,643 Dart June 15, 1909 941,561 Decker Nov. 30, 1909 962,208 Gaara June 21, 1910 1,323,702 Lindquist Dec. 2, 1919 1,385,341 Wagner July 19, 1921 1,422,541 Crandell July 11, 1922 1,627,882 Berry May 10, 1927 1,670,182 Beck May 15, 1928 1,739,038 Millspaugh Dec. 10, 1929 1,746,255 Heritage Feb. 11, 1930 1,753,800 Millspaugh Apr. 8, 1930 1,771,600 Yoder July 29, 1930 1,853,068 Millspaugh Apr. 12, 1932 1,867,931 Traquair July 19, 1932 1,884,583 Crawford Oct. 25, 1932 1,913,678 Kutter June 13, 1933 1,957,824 Fieberts May 8, 1934 1,988,402 Thomas Jan. 15, 1935 2,037,243 Kutter Apr. 14, 1936 2,118,491 Chuse May 24, 1938 2,154,719 Berry Apr. 18, 1939 2,188,484 Peterson Jan. 30, 1940 2,240,869 Specht May 6, 1941 2,243,773 Randell May 27, 1941 2,338,465 Street Jan. 4, 1944 2,339,711 Lowe et al. Jan. 18, 1944 2,484,047 Perry Oct. 11, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 103,915 Germany July 11, 1899 632,784 Germany July 14, 1936 

